Reconciling
by ttfan111robstar1
Summary: Robin is very much infantilized during the events of Mother Mae Eye. Batman ends up swooping in to save the day. Oneshot. Rated M for infantilism.


**Author's Note: So this idea popped up in my head last night and wouldn't shut up until I wrote it down. So voilà! Behold the plot bunny! And please review- I love it when you do!**

He was dreaming, but it was a nightmare.

The bodies on the ground, contorted in unnatural positions. He slid down the pole and ran over to them, shaking them over and over again as he cried.

"Mami! scoală-te! Mami, tati, ridică-te! vă rog, vă rog trezește-te!"

He was screaming and screaming but no one seemed to hear him. His whole world had fallen apart, and all he could do was sit and watch as it burned up and ended in ashes.

It was then that he jerked awake, gasping for air. He could feel tears coming down his face, the fear of the dream following him into the real world. He looked around, trying to calm himself down. Unconsciously, he started to suck his thumb. Slowly, reality settled into place, and he could think again.

Who were those people? And why was he crying over them? He wasn't sure of either question. It wasn't like they mattered, though. He had family. Daddy was gone doing something as Batman, and Mother was here with him as she'd always been. As soon as he thought of her he started to whimper. Where was his Mommy? He trembled slightly, now doubly frightened by the fact that he didn't know where Mommy was and he'd had a bad dream. He plopped down on the floor and started to cry, searching for his pacifier on his nightstand. The second he found it it was in his mouth.

Then suddenly Mommy appeared and swept him into her arms.

"What's the matter, Robby-Wobby?"

As much as he wanted to answer, he couldn't stop sucking on his pacifier. Mommy rocked him and hushed him until he spoke.

"I had a bad dream." He said in a small voice.

"My poor, poor baby. Don't worry, Mother will make all the bad dreams go away."

She glanced over at his bed and saw the discoloration.

"Did Mother's little Robby-Wobby have an accident?" She cooed sweetly. He blushed. "There's no need to be embarrassed now, dear. These things happen. But just to be safe, let's get you into some fresh underwear." The "underwear" she put on him was nothing more than a glorified diaper, but he didn't mind, because Mommy always knew what was best for him. When he was clean he hopped up, proud of himself for being a big boy. Mommy chortled and it relaxed him.

"Does my little birdie want his bottle?" He nodded happily.

"Hungry." He said in a high voice. Mommy fed him, and he quickly relaxed. When he finished his ba ba, he grabbed his favorite stuffed elephant from his room, put his pacifier in his mouth, and walked down the hall to the living room. No one else was there. He must have woken up earlier than he'd thought. Oh well. That just meant more time with Mommy. Out of nowhere a new thought hit him, and it made him start crying.

Where was Daddy? Where did he have to be that was so important?

He sniffled, and wiped the tears away. He squeezed his elephant tighter. Daddy had to work, and he knew that. It didn't make it any easier to deal with. He curled up onto his side and tried not to cry. Then Mommy was there, stroking his hair. Slowly, he calmed down.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" She asked gently.

"I miss Daddy." He sniffed. He squeezed his elephant to his chest. Mommy frowned, and he didn't know why. She didn't say anything like he had expected her to. Somehow her silence made him even more uncomfortable. Tears came down his cheeks and he coughed a little, saddened and disappointed. Mother conjured a pie, and he ate it, suddenly forgetting his troubles and bouncing back to the happy go lucky boy who was underneath the mask.

It was late into that evening when all the way in Gotham City, Batman got that strange feeling in his gut he always got when something was very wrong. His instincts were being set off, and he knew that his son was in danger. He skulked over to his computer and hacked into the Teen Titans mainframe. All of the security equipment in the tower was donated by Bruce Wayne, so Batman could always keep an eye on his protege. Despite the fight between them, Batman still loved and cared for his son- no matter how well he hid it. He hacked into the camera in his son's room and was bewildered at what he saw.

Robin was curled up on his side, clutching his old stuffed elephant, and sucking on a pacifier. For a moment, Bruce could only stare in shock. What had happened to his son? He looked at the other Titans' rooms and saw more of the same. It wasn't just Dick. All of them had regressed into acting this way. Dick's case just seemed the most severe- although maybe that was just because he was biased. He called Alfred and Oracle into watching Gotham tonight.

He was making a detour to Jump City.

As he sped off in the Batmobile in hopes of saving his son, he wondered what he would be dealing with when he got there. He knew it would be easy for him to get past security, but who was the villain behind this behavior? He felt anxiety settle into the pit of his stomach. Wether it was from his son being in danger or from the oncoming battle, he did not know. All he knew was that he had no idea how to deal with the situation before him.

He arrived and stealthily made his way into the tower. He knew he had to see Dick first. His son was the top priority. He crawled through the ventilation system until, at last, he found Dick's room. He dropped into the room and landed almost as silently as a mouse. However, it was enough to wake his son from sleep. Dick shot up in bed and immediately started whimpering. He looked around in fear, and was relieved to see it was only his father.

"Daddy?" He whispered timidly, afraid to believe that it was really him. Batman nodded, walking over to his son. Dick hugged him tightly, and snuggled into him with a yawn. "Daddy... Tired."

Although Batman had a tough exterior, Bruce Wayne had always held a soft spot for Dick Grayson. Seeing his exhaustion and childlike need for him had touched the spot, and he smiled weakly.

"Go to sleep, Dickie." He said, stroking his hair. He nodded tiredly.

"Night night, Daddy." He said, going back to sleep.

Batman quickly made his way back to the vents. He could hear someone talking in the distance, and decided to listen in.

"... My perfect little children. Always happy to see me. Always happy to love me. It's not like they could love anyone as much as they love me." The last sentence was spat out in anger. "I'm their mother. It's not like they have or need a father." The last word was said like an expletive.

When he finally saw her, it was a shock to the system. A disgusting green witch in a black and blue polka dotted outfit. He actually shivered. That was disturbing. How was he going to get rid of her? He didn't even know how she worked. That was what he had to figure out.

As much as he hated leaving Dick now, he knew that he couldn't help his son without a plan. He took one last look at him before racing back to Gotham.

He spent the next twenty four hours observing the witch, seeing her power, and formulating a plan. He was truly terrified for his son at this point. Just seeing what she could do to their tower and minds was absolutely horrifying. His regression wasn't as worrying once he saw that it was a side effect of the pies. Once Dick stopped eating them, he would be normal again.

One big worry down, one to go.

It was time to take this woman down once and for all.

He waited until she was busy with something to grab her wooden spoon, then shoved it into the pie. As soon as he did it, she was sucked back into her own dimension. The tower instantly returned to normal, but that wasn't what he was worried about. He ran to Dick's room and the door slid open.

His son was still sleeping peacefully, sucking on a pacifier and cuddling his elephant. Batman knelt down by his bedside and ran his gloved fingers through his son's hair. Dick opened his eyes. Seeing his father, he smiled blearily.

"Daddy."

Batman hardly blinked at the term of endearment. He figured the pie would need time to wear off completely, and he was fine with that.

"Hi Dickie. How are you feeling?"

"Sleepy."

"You can go back to sleep if you want."

"Will you still be here when I get up?"

"Of course."

With a smile, Dick went back to sleep.

Batman stayed in the room well into the morning and saw his son wake up. Dick looked at his adoptive father through hardly open eyes. He moaned quietly, confused.

"W-What happened?"

"It's okay, son. You're safe now."

"Bruce?" He asked, hopefully.

"It's me."

"What happened to me? It feels like I got hit in the head by a Mac truck."

"You were brainwashed for a while. I'm not sure how long. But everything is back to normal."

Robin blinked in surprise and sat up. "You came to help me?"

"Of course I did. We may have had our differences but I would never let someone do what she did and let them get away with it."

His face was blank. "What did she do?"

Bruce sighed. "Are you sure you want to know?"

"I have to. No matter how much I don't want to."

"She mentally regressed you back to Babyhood and into thinking she was your mother."

A dozen emotions filled him at once. Shock, anger, pain, guilt, shame, and confusion were only a fraction of them. Bruce could tell he felt lost, and sat next to his son, putting an arm around his shoulders.

"I came here two days ago after seeing what she did to you. I watched her for one day before coming back to help."

"You needed time to figure out how she worked."

"Exactly."

He looked up at his mentor in surprise. His face screwed up in concentration. "You helped me while I was... Away, didn't you?"

"Yes." He said flatly.

The memories were fuzzy and indistinct, but yes, his father had been there.

"Thank you."

To his surprise, Bruce smiled. "Anytime, Dick."

Father and son sat together for a few minutes in complete quiet. Their actions spoke volumes more than their words. Or lack of words depending on the viewpoint. But the invisible separation between them was beginning to lessen. Unable to endure the silence that made him feel anxious, he started a conversation, hoping to fill the space between them with words.

"How is everything back in Gotham?"

"They're about the same. Alfred told me to tell you that he missed you."

Dick grinned. "I miss him too. And you. I just haven't been able to show it. We're not good at sharing emotional things with each other."

Bruce chuckled softly, which made Dick's eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "No. We're not. I don't know if we ever will be. But I wouldn't change a thing."

Dick smiled, warmed by the statement that was so out of character for his father. He knew then that no matter what happened from here on out, he would see his relationship with Bruce as reconciled. His Dad had showed up in his hour of need, proving that no fight or distance could ever separate the special bond they shared. With a faint smile touching the corners of his lips, he replied to his father:

"Neither would I."

**Author's Note: translated Romanian text reads thusly: ****mommy! get up!** **Mommy, Daddy, get up! please,** **please wake up! **


End file.
